Imitation
by Amarissia
Summary: Sephiroth wrestles with his growing feelings, and Zack and Angeal have a very atypical day of training. Part of the Decorum series.


_I've been getting a LOT of requests for a Decorum showing how Zack and Sephiroth got together. I am happy to oblige, but those circumstances require some set-up. So this and the next few Decorums, probably, will follow the Zack-and-Sephy-get-together arc until that wonderful moment is shown in all its glory. I hope you guys like it, and all the future installments of this series. Because if I keep getting ideas for it like I have been, this thing could go on for awhile. :)_

_Rated M purely on principle, also for possibly-excessive cuteness and traces of emo. I don't own FFVII, and I am certainly not learning Japanese and mind-control skills with the aim of convincing the Great Nomura to put a lot of porn into future sequels and prequels. I don't know where you got that idea._

**IMITATION**

Angeal Hewley, efficient to a near-human degree, had been out of the shower only minutes, and the air-conditioned hallways felt unnaturally cool on his recently damp skin. It was a nice feeling after a week of recon in the Costa del Sol area. A lot of his men had considered the mission half a vacation due to the sun and warm weather, but Angeal had never been fond of heat. It was good to be back in the milder climate of Midgar, home where his friends and duties were. The one he was on his way to see belonged to both those categories, and Angeal missed him more than he would ever admit aloud.

When he reached the right door he knocked, and a cheery "It's open!" answered. Strange that Zack didn't answer the door, and even stranger that he didn't rush Angeal to glomp him the moment he was inside. Could something be wrong? No, no, he would have heard. His colleagues in 1st Class always kept an eye on Zack when Angeal was away, trained with him and generally succeeded in keeping him out trouble.

"He's fine, Angeal," Commander Hitchcock had said during the last phone call, varying between long-suffering patience and amused snickers. "Nothing's blown up, no limbs have been lost, and I remembered to walk him."

Little did Hitchcock know it was no longer merely a case of Angeal being overprotective (though, admittedly, he was). He had been uneasy leaving Zack and Sephiroth alone without himself to stand between them, though Zack had certainly learned a lesson from the stuffed Bandersnatch incident, and surely Sephiroth's concerned behavior toward Zack at the Winter Solstice party was a sign that there was no disaster ahead. Maybe there would even be a friendship, that would be good for them both. And yet...Sephiroth had been distracted for months, to the point that Hojo was voicing concern as an excuse to run tests. And Zack, who received appreciative looks and veiled come-ons from at least half of everyone who encountered him, remained oblivious to it all. Angeal had a sinking feeling that the boy was not willing to be involved with anyone less than Sephiroth, and such a thing could simply not happen.

And where was the kid, anyway? 3rd Class apartments were not huge, but the bedroom door was open, and Zack wouldn't have called out from the bathroom. Well, maybe he would have.

"Puppy?"

"Over here! Awesome, you're back, I was getting so bored, the 1sts'll hardly spar with me after what you did to Welman, they think you'll hurt them if you're too rough with me..."

Angeal's mouth formed a faint smile as he followed the voice to behind the couch. Zack's tendency to babble could be irritating at times, but being without it for awhile showed him that he would miss it if he ever lost it. As he and his student came into each other's view, Zack beamed at him from his seat on the floor, and Angeal was about to grin back when he saw what was sitting opposite Zack, also looking up at the visitor.

A puppy. An actual young dog, with chocolate brown fur and a pale blue collar. It cocked its head curiously but remained seated, where it had apparently been listening to Zack talk with more patience than most humans could muster. Zack knew very well that SOLDIERs - busy, constantly receiving new orders, required to be prepared for anything - did not make ideal pet owners. Had he truly been bored enough to forget this?

The commander buried his face in one large hand, not out of annoyance or disappointment, but to hide a smile he couldn't repress. The sight was adorable enough even to move _him_, the gruff man who was not prone to sentimentality. A puppy and his puppy seated facing each other and both looking up, playful and eager. For a single, insane moment, Angeal imagined using this image for next year's Winter Solstice cards. That surely wouldn't feed the rumors about he and his protégé, not at all.

Oh, hell. Zack had looked down with a dejected expression, the one he always wore when he felt he had failed at something. The dog seemed to sense his shift in mood and nudged his leg with a soft whine.

"I'm not upset with you, Puppy," Angeal quickly reassured, and had to immediately feign rubbing his mouth in thought, because they both looked up at the same time, and there was that feeling of "aw" and a flash of potential Solstice cards again. What would the message be? Perhaps something overly defensive, like '**May your holiday be happy and COMPLETELY PLATONIC**!' The 1sts would love it. Zane, perhaps too much.

"What is...that?"

"It's a _dog_," Zack answered with a roll of his eyes.

"You really think you can care properly for a pet?"

"Oh, he's not mine! I found him down by one of the fields, and he seemed scared and alone and I couldn't just leave him."

Angeal couldn't fault him that, he would have done the same thing. "He's wearing a collar, he must belong to someone."

"I know, but his owner's name isn't on the tag. I asked around, but no one seems to know whose he is. Don't worry, I've got Adams and Godell putting up flyers. Until we can take him home, I'm gonna take care of him." Zack bent down to rub his nose against the puppy's cold, wet one and laughed as his face was licked. "Isn't that right? You get to play with me, you cute iddle widdle - "

"Zack."

Gaia damn it, they looked up simultaneously again, but Angeal held on to his stern expression this time. "You said there was a tag. Does it give any information?"

"Just his name."

"Which is?"

"Heh heh, I'd tell you, but you wouldn't believe me."

Sighing, Angeal settled down on the carpet to look for himself. The dog seemed quite pleased to be getting so much attention and, without any prompting or permission, immediately scrambled over Angeal's legs into his lap. It was like some law of karma had descended upon metaphors and made them literal. At least _his_ puppy had never expressed a desire to sniff his crotch.

It was a bit tricky to get the animal to stay still (_If nothing else, I am gifted in the art of nicknames_, Angeal thought) but he managed to turn the brass tag over and read what was written there. One word, four letters, a combination that was both curse and blessing and proof that the gods were loonier than Zane and Hojo combined. Angeal looked at Zack, who was grinning at his surprise.

"Weird, huh?"

"Zack."

"Are you talking to me or him?"

"Puppy."

"Uh, still the same problem."

Angeal wondered briefly if it was too late to return to Costa del Sol. "Fair, we have training to do today. What did you intend to do with the animal? Leave it here alone? I am uneasy doing that with _you_."

Zack scowled, but his irrepressible good nature softened it into a pout. "Of course not. He'd get scared."

"It cannot be brought into the VR Room. Lazard would have a fit."

"Don't worry! I've got a plan!"

The puppy who didn't speak had laid its head on Angeal's knee and was sleeping peacefully, unconcerned. It didn't know, as Angeal did, how rarely anything beginning with those words turned out well.

_zsazsazsa_

Zack had come along well with the VR programs over the previous months, especially since Angeal had - true to his word - stopped springing the Sephiroth hologram on him. Even the laser scenario was no longer so difficult for him that Angeal needed to closely watch and be ready to intervene. Of course, at the moment, Commander Hewley was not in much of a mood to rescue his troublesome student. He was supposed to be _in there_, measuring said student's progress, not...

"Don't worry," Zack had said cheerfully on his way in. "You can always read the report afterwards, or watch the video playback. I'm gonna kick butt, you'll see!"

Angeal felt a similar urge. How did he - respected, admired, feared second only to Sephiroth - get conned into standing here in the hallway with a sleeping dog in his arms? He was fond of animals, very much so, and had regretted the busy schedule that prevented him having a pet of his own. But _this_, this was ridiculous. Any moment someone could pass by and find further evidence that Commander Hewley was a big softie who was fast sacrificing his reputation to the whims of a seventeen-year-old.

Footsteps approaching. Of course, why not? It was Commander Dawson, a 1st Class with sandy brown hair and a reputation for ruthlessness on the battlefield and gentleness off of it. Angeal knew Dawson well and liked him, and as they were both men of few words and a dry sense of humor, they had always gotten along. This was at least better than Hitchcock, who would have probably rushed off for his camera.

"Hello, Angeal. Hi, Zack." It looked as though Dawson would stroll right by, but he stopped short and peered at his colleague, then the animal, then back again. "All right, I don't know how you did that, but don't you think you guys are taking this nickname too far?"

"This is not Zack," Angeal said in a growl of annoyance, and the puppy woke up and barked to hear its name. "Well, it is and it isn't."

"Huh?"

"The animal's name is Zack, just not - "

"Not _your_ Zack, I see." Dawson nodded and stepped closer. He let the dog sniff his hand and then began to scratch it behind the ears. "Aw. For such a serious guy, you sure attract cuteness like a magnet."

"Lucky me," Angeal said coolly.

"So why'd you name it Zack? Won't that get confusing?"

"It already is confusing, and I did not name it. It's not mine, Zack just found it and insists on caring for it until we can locate the owner."

"And the human Zack is..."

"Training in the VR Room."

"Leaving you puppy-sitting." Dawson smiled. "Well, at least you've got experience."

"What threat is required to assure your silence?"

"I won't say anything. But you know, Angeal, I think a lot of SOLDIERs like you even better now that we've seen a softer side of you. Probably wouldn't be good to let ShinRa's enemies know this sort of thing, though."

"Thank you, Dawson," Angeal said, in such a way as to make it clear that he'd like to end the conversation.

"Sure thing. See you later."

"Wait a moment." Angeal made his voice softer. "Has Sephiroth seemed at all...odd to you, recently?"

"Odd in what way?"

"Any way."

"How recently?" Dawson continued to prod.

"Say, five or six months."

"Hmm. Distracted, maybe. And there was that almost-killing-Welman thing at the Solstice party. What was that about? I understand why _you_ were angry, but if you hadn't held Sephiroth back and talked him down I think he really would've finished the guy off." Dawson looked thoughtful. "Maybe he's imitating our behavior now too, instead of just watching?"

"Perhaps," Angeal said slowly, playing back the incident in his memory. Sephiroth had looked strange afterward, like he was shocked by the realization of something. He had given orders for Welman to be taken care of and left without another word, shaking his head at Angeal's offer to talk. "Or maybe he was behaving instinctively, as I had done."

"Huh?"

"Have you noticed any changes in behavior?" Angeal knew Sephiroth better than anyone, but sometimes the other SOLDIERs caught things he didn't.

"Well, the day after the party...you weren't around, were you?"

"No, Zack and I were in the city all day. What happened?"

Dawson looked reluctant; he was rarely this talkative by choice. "Sephiroth challenged Hitchcock to a spar. I caught some of it, and Sephiroth wasn't holding back a little the way he usually does. You know Hitchcock, he wouldn't stay down even though he was a mess. We were about to call Levine and ask him to fake an emergency or something, then Sephiroth just stopped, like he realized what he was doing. He Cure2ed Hitchcock, apologized - actually apologized - and shut himself in his office for the rest of the day."

This was surprising news. That Sephiroth would lose control at all, but also that his target would be Hitchcock, one of the oldest SOLDIERs, whom Sephiroth had always respected and liked.

"Do you think something is wrong with him?" Dawson asked nervously.

"I don't know. I don't know what could be affecting him like - "

Zack barreled out of the VR Room, swinging an expensive virtual-reality visor in one hand, and bouncing on the balls of his feet began to talk at once, as expected. "Angeal, Angeal, I leveled up! Oh, yeah! Wait'll you see the data record, I totally rocked! Oh, hi, Dawson! Did you meet the other Zack?"

Dawson glanced back and forth with amusement between Zack's cheer and Angeal's grudging smile, and nodded. "Briefly, yes."

The dog was eagerly scrambling toward his returned friend. Zack carefully lifted his namesake out of Angeal's arms and hugged him, his energy exciting the puppy, which wagged its tail and eagerly nuzzled the teenager.

"Were you good for Angeal? He's not so bad, is he, he just likes to pretend he's grumpier than he really is. I wish I could've brought you in there to see me triumph! You know you share a name with a future hero? Yes you do, yes you do..."

Dawson directed an indulgent smile at Angeal, who rolled his eyes. "Zack, this cannot continue."

"What?"

"We cannot train and look after the animal at the same time. I will find a 3rd who's free for the day and assign him to care for the dog, and I'll see that inquiries as to who the owner might be are sent through every department."

"But..." Zack seemed heartbroken at the suggestion. "We don't know all the 3rds, what if you end up picking some sadist?"

"Commander Hitchcock knows them, I will confer with him first."

"But...he's probably scared enough without his owner, we can't hand him off to a total stranger! I bet whoever it is is only gone for the day, he'll see one of the flyers and - "

"Zack," Angeal said as sternly as he could.

The boy completely deflated. His shoulder slumped and his head hung low, hiding the hurt expression behind black spikes that fell forward. The puppy again sensed his caretaker's sadness and whimpered at him, and Zack held the creature close and pet it reassuringly, though without much energy.

"Yes, sir," he said as neutrally as he could, probably unaware how disarming it was for Angeal to be called that by him. "Can I just hold him for a few minutes, until he settles down again? Please?"

"Of course," the commander aanswered immediately, in a voice that had a strangled sound to it. This was the proper thing to do, it was in the best interests of Zack's development as a SOLDIER. but Angeal loathed himself at the moment.

He was too easy on Zack and he knew it, though he feigned indignance when anyone else tentatively voiced the same opinion. Zack's progress since they began working together assured that no such complaint would ever be taken seriously, and Zack himself told anyone who would listen that Angeal was "the best teacher ever". But Angeal thought he knew the truth - that the boy's amazing talent and almost unbelievable amount of potential would have blossomed under the hand of any competent teacher. His main contribution to Zack's growth was not instruction, it was the steady supply of affection and confidence and support he gave his student. He allowed Zack to be his childish, bouncy self as much as possible, when another mentor might have crushed this joyful spirit in sacrifice to the incredible SOLDIER Zack was becoming. Angeal sometimes thought he had taken Zack on mainly for that reason, to keep him the way he was.

Angeal rubbed his forehead, though it was really his heart paining him. He favored and coddled Zack enough already. What would happen when the boy became a 1st Class and had to work with men who had grown to see him as a pet, not a comrade? What if something happened to Angeal, and Zack was unable to stand on his own because someone else had always held him up? He had to be firmer, especially in front of their colleagues, but then Zack coughed fakely to cover a soft sniffle, and Angeal gazed at the boy sitting dejectedly on the floor. His heart had closed to all but Sephiroth after losing Genesis, the only defense against such pain he could find, and perhaps he had been a fool to let in someone who could still be easily hurt, but it was done.

"Angeal."

He looked questioningly at Dawson, who very deliberately closed his eyes, put his hands over his ears, and walked away. Angeal let out a breath he'd been holding, and thought to hell with the future and propriety and everything else that was forcing him to drive his puppy to tears. He kneeled down and brushed a few strands of hair from the downcast eyes.

"Puppy."

"Which one?" a subdued voice asked.

"Mine."

Zack looked up and offered a weak smile. The pale blue eyes were wet and a shade closer to turquoise, which always happened as an effect of strong emotion, but they weren't dripping. Angeal smoothed his spiky hair back and Zack hurriedly blinked to disguise how close he'd come to crying. Or maybe how close he'd come to pretending. The kid could be manipulative now and then.

"Sorry, Angeal."

"It's not your fault. I suppose I encourage such insubordination, in my own way. You said you leveled up?"

"Uh-huh."

"Very good. I think that's enough for today, then. Maybe the other Zack would like to play outside while we wait for his owner."

"You mean..." A beaming smile lit up Zack's face, like the sun breaking through a veil of clouds. He slung one arm around Angeal's neck and yanked him forward into an embrace. "You're seriously the best!"

This was a hug, and they were in public. On the other hand, no one was around, and his heart was already feeling better. What the hell. He hugged back, not letting go until Zack did.

_zsazsazsa_

"All right, go get it! No, silly, it's over there! Come on, I'll show ya..."

Though resigned to having chosen to give into Zack's wishes (big surprise there), Angeal did wish he had chosen a more secluded spot. Zack never seemed to care what people thought of him (though Angeal had a hunch he actually did) and wasn't bothered that everyone who passed through or near this very public courtyard saw him playing fetch with a puppy who apparently forgot the basics of the game every ten seconds. The animal made Fair seem completely disciplined and focused in comparison.

"See, you pick it up and bring it back to me, then I'll throw it again. Ready? Go get it! No, I threw it, I don't still have it," the boy laughed.

Angeal had brought a book from his quarters, a thick, dry tome on Mideelian history, and had it open on his lap, hoping to distance himself from Zack's immature display. Yeah, like anyone believed he and his student just happened to wander separately to this same spot. Now and then a SOLDIER or other employee (Zack seemed to know everyone) would pass by and pet or comment on the dog, and they always glanced at Angeal before walking on and often smiled, especially those who knew Angeal well enough to know how close he and his student were. At least Zack was dutifully inquiring about the puppy's owner of everyone he spoke to, and hadn't yet whined at his teacher to stop being boring and join in.

"It appears to be a Wutaian breed," he heard a neutral voice say, and cringed. Tseng, great, now the Turks were witnessing this. "But possibly mixed."

"You don't know who he belongs to?" Zack asked.

"No, but I will query my department."

"I'll handle it, yo," a younger, cocky voice drawled. "Anything for you, doll."

Angeal looked up, and his eyes narrowed. Reno, Zack's "friend", who obviously was looking to be more and in the meantime could not spend more than two minutes with his puppy without getting him into some kind of trouble. Angeal wanted Zack to spend time with others of his own age, he didn't do enough of that, but ever since the Heidegger incident, he had made it clear to Reno, Tseng and Zack himself that he disapproved of them associating. Of all people who should not be tricked into drinking laxative-laced coffee, Heidegger topped Angeal's list. ShinRa had lost three of the housekeeping staff over the mess that followed and had been legally advised to foot the bill for their therapy.

"So, its name is Zack as well?" Tseng asked, showing no emotion but curiosity.

"Uh-huh." Zack looked at Reno, who was crouching to pet the puppy. "You want to hold him?"

The redhead smirked. "What do you say, boss? Can I hold Zack, or do you want to?"

Tseng smiled enigmatically, and Angeal got to his feet before he'd made a conscious decision to do so. He didn't especially want Tseng near Zack either, not since Zane (mentally unstable but fluent in Old Wutainese) had told him what Zack's given nickname actually meant. Angeal didn't have or want the right to tell Zack who he could be involved with, but he would be remiss in his duty as a mentor if he didn't protect his naive student from bad influences.

"No need to choose, you can take turns," Zack told them with oblivous cheer.

Reno was about to say something, but the approaching shadow of frowning Commander Hewley wiped the leer of his face. "Yo. Just hanging out, not corrupting your precious puppy."

Tseng cuffed Reno lightly on the head - a gesture of diplomacy, as Turks were not required to show respect to SOLDIERs. "Hello, Angeal. I hope our intel was of use to you in Costa del Sol."

"It was, thank you," Angeal said stiffly.

Just when it looked like a nice, adult conversation might ensue, of course Zack, who had plopped back onto the grass, tugged Angeal's pant leg. "Angeal, he wants to play with _you_."

True, the other Zack was sniffing at and swiping his little paws over his boots, then batting a dangling lace. Angeal tried to summon up an appropriate, dignified response, and came up with nothing. Reno smirked, and Tseng offered that damn indecipherable smile again.

"We can discuss business matters later," he said smoothly. "It's such a lovely day, much more suited to playing with puppies."

"I heard that," Reno said appreciatively, looking at the wrong Zack, though the boy didn't seem to notice.

Tseng observed the green beginning to gather in the commander's eyes and chose that moment to excuse himself, ordering Reno away with him. With equal parts relief and resignation, Angeal put aside his book, sat down, and tossed the stick that Zack handed him.

"Go get it, boy."

"It wasn't all Reno's fault, you know. The thing with Heidegger. It's not like he _made_ me help."

"I know."

"He's not a bad guy." Zack laughed. "Even if he is always on the prowl. Gaia, can he be more obvious?"

"You noticed that?"

"Give me a little credit, would ya? I'm not completely clueless."

"What about Kunsel?" Angeal asked carefully, accepting the retrieved stick and tossing it again.

"What about him?" Zack studied his mentor's expression and blinked. "You think he - "

"He doesn't hide it well. He's a nice boy. Intelligent, talented, friendly."

"Are you saying I should date him?"

"I'm saying you and he might be compatible," Angeal said awkwardly. He wasn't good at talking about this sort of thing.

"You're saying I should date _someone_, and give up on Sephiroth." The boy rested his chin in a cupped hand and looked gloomily into empty space. "I know it's hopeless. My heart just won't accept that."

"Do you think you could just give someone else a try? It might help."

"What about _you_? Unless you completely keep that part of your life away from me, which really wouldn't surprise me, you don't have relationships either."

"That is different."

"Because of Genesis?" Zack shifted guiltily at the sadness that filled up the elder's eyes. "From what you told me about him and the way you told it, I thought maybe you two..."

"We were young," Angeal said after a short pause. "It wasn't serious. But it would have been. Until I have room in my heart to love someone else that way, it would be unfair of me to pretend with someone else."

Zack gave him a tiny smile. "Exactly."

The puppy chose that moment to stand up and scramble against Zack's chest with his front paws. The 3rd playfully lay back and laughed, mock-fighting his attacker and begging for mercy, and Angeal watched with amusement. It was quite an adorable sight, though interrupted by that faint clicking off to the right. Angeal glanced over, and there was Edwards from the Public Relations department, holding a digital camera to his face and eagerly taking photographs.

"What are you doing?"

"This works perfectly with a new campaign idea I thought up!" the idiot babbled. "The softer side of ShinRa. Fair, could you look this way?"

"Bite me," Zack said, in the same baby-talk voice he used on the puppy.

Normally Angeal felt a need to reprimand such insolence, but not this time. Instead he flipped open his phone, pretended to dial, and said into it "Sephiroth? Can you spare Levine and his paper shredder for a few minutes?"

Edwards foresaw his own death in this threat and, as befits a ShinRa executive, scurried away as fast as he could.

_zsazsazsa_

"Just so we're perfectly clear, any messes the animal makes are yours to clean up."

"Did you hear that, Zack?" The boy was pretending to ignore his mentor and speaking in that same cutesy tone to the puppy he held. "The great 1st Class is too high and mighty to scoop - "

"Zack."

"Don't worry. I told ya, he's paper-trained." The 3rd looked at Angeal curiously. "You really never had any pets?"

"My mother was allergic to dogs. That's the only kind I ever wanted." He smirked wryly.

"_Don't_," Zack groaned, rolling his eyes.

"Be careful what you wish for, that's the lesson here."

"Yeah, right, you'd be bored to tears without me."

They were on their way to Zack's apartment. It was usual for them to walk back together after training to discuss the progress they'd made and the next day's schedule, though of course this day had not been a normal one. Zack waited until they got off the elevator before he spoke again.

"I suppose Sephiroth didn't have pets either."

Angeal hesitated, not sure if his friend would like this known, but trusted Zack to be discreet when it came to Sephiroth, if nothing else. "He became...attached to a laboratory rat when he was very young."

Zack smiled, but only for a moment. "Did something happen to it?"

"It escaped."

Actually, Hojo had killed it, and made Sephiroth watch. Angeal had known of this a long time and it still made his blood boil. He often wondered why Sephiroth had never killed Hojo, he was clever enough to get away with it. He had directly asked this only once and gotten an answer that revealed nothing: "I have a reason."

They turned the corner, and Angeal was jolted out of his thoughts by the sight of a tall man with a blond crewcut and an air of confidence worn only by 1st Classes and Turks. Lt. Matheson, one of the younger 1st Classes that Angeal had never gotten to know too well, save that he was talented and well-liked. Matheson grinned sheepishly at their approach.

"Hi, Angeal. Hey, Zack, I've been looking for you." He laughed. "Both of you, I mean. I hope the little guy hasn't been a bother."

"Oh, he's yours?" Zack carefully, though with a hint of sadness, handed the dog over, and it immediately began to lick its owner's face. "Nah, we had fun. I haven't had a pet since I was a kid."

The embarrassed grin returned. "They say it's a bad idea to keep pets in SOLDIER. Lack of free time, and so on. One of the housekeeping staff usually watches him when I'm not around, but she went home sick this morning, and I was already gone...I really appreciate you looking after him."

"I loved it. Any time," Zack said. There was just a hint of color in his cheeks, maybe because Matheson was staring at the puppy, and not his own.

"Why did you name it Zack?" Angeal asked bluntly.

"Oh, well..." Matheson laughed nervously at the question, not even glancing at the one who asked it. "Jealousy, I guess. Wanted one of my own."

Zack looked at his boots shyly. Shyly? _Zack_? Oh, Gaia. Much as Angeal acknowledged that this was potentially a good thing, it was also something he wanted no part in. Running away didn't seem to be an option, so he settled for suppressing the impulse to give Matheson one of his intimidating glares. He couldn't make grown men lose bowel and bladder control as Sephiroth could, but on a good day he might inflict stammering and begging for mercy.

"We have an early day tomorrow, Zack," Angeal reminded pointedly.

The boy laughed. "It's only eight."

"Coincidentally, that's _this_ Zack's bedtime," Matheson said, slightly lifting the puppy, who did look quite sleepy. "If you've got time, Zack, maybe you could walk with us over to my place and say goodbye to him there? I think he's gotten attached, and I don't want him to pine."

_Oh, the dog's not the one pining_, Angeal thought. His amusement was dampened slightly by an annoyance that he had no business feeling.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks for everything today, Angeal. You really are the best."

Angeal smiled and ruffled Zack's hair. "Just don't make it a habit."

He watched for a few moments as they walked off together, Zack asking if he could stop by sometime to visit his namesake and Matheson eagerly saying sure, any time. Hmm. This was certainly fortuitous, only hours after urging Zack to look at other people besides his unattainable crush (okay, more than crush, he had to give the boy that much credit). Matheson couldn't be more than four years older, and a thorough reading of his file (and perhaps some talking with other SOLDIERs) would reveal any defficiencies that might make him objectionable. Angeal would have preferred it to be someone younger, another 3rd, but he knew he should be happy it was happening at all.

So, why wasn't he? He was honest enough to admit that some of it was simple jealousy at the thought of someone else taking up Zack's time, and of course there was his vexing but undeniable protectiveness. But all that should be balanced by his wish to see the kid happy and over Sephiroth. Sephiroth. Could it be that Angeal had actually dared hope that Zack and Sephiroth might...no, ridiculous. He just worried for both of them.

Reassured by the idea of Zack moving on, Angeal turned around and headed off to try to unriddle the other side of the equation.

_zsazsazsa_

"He said no one."

"That doesn't include me."

"He said no one, 'including Angeal'."

The commander studied Levine, who had never much liked him, didn't really like anyone but the general he was completely devoted to. It wouldn't be unlike him to lie to visitors and keep them out if he thought Sephiroth was too busy or too grumpy to deal with company. But the assistant wasn't wearing his usual scowl tonight. If anything, he looked concerned.

"What's wrong with him?" Angeal whispered as softly as he could.

"I don't know." Levine's voice was almost unrecognizable without arrogance and suspicion.

"Tell him I stopped by, please. And that if I don't see him tomorrow, I'm going to phone in a death threat and have him put under Turk surveillance for the next month."

Levine very nearly smiled. "Yes, Commander."

Behind the door of the inner office, Sephiroth heard their voices but wasn't paying attention to them. He had downloaded a couple of surprising new photographs from the P.R. section of ShinRa's website and had been using a simple computer program to manipulate them. In each, there was Zack Fair and a real puppy playing together, alone in one and being watched by a grudgingly-smiling Angeal in the other.

With a few clicks of his mouse, he could make Fair appear to be large and close-up, or tiny and far away. He could crop Angeal out of the picture or leave him in, positive, unthreatening presence that he was. He could cut Fair out of the green background and place him on a black digital canvas, thereby creating a universe that consisted of nothing but Zack. He could zoom in on the bright smile, the brilliant eyes, the unique hair. If Sephroth tried to pick one feature he liked best he'd be here all night, though he did keep returning to the face as a whole.

_What am I doing? Worrying my subordinates and Angeal, for one thing, and confusing myself. Beyond that, I don't know._

It was a ridiculous hour to still be in his office. He should go, he knew, and say something pleasant to Levine on the way out. Then a decent night's sleep, and perhaps breakfast with Angeal the next day. It would reassure him, and maybe even avoid questions.

Sephiroth knew himself better than that. Before exiting the office, he emailed the original photos to his home computer. He doubted he would be sleeping tonight at all.

_Thus begins the how-they-got-together arc. Thank you all for your patience. :)_


End file.
